What We Know About
the Holy SpiritDr. Elmer Towns
Much confusion exists today concerning the Person
of the Holy Spirit. His personality is denied by both liberal theologians and
extreme religious cults.
Some liberals will acknowledge He is portrayed as a
person, but claim the Scripture is communicating a myth.
Radical cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses deny His
personality, referring to Him as simply an influence.
Because of the comparatively little teaching about
the Holy Spirit that has been done over the years, there are some good
Christians who do not realize that the Holy Spirit is a Person.
The
Holy Spirit has the Attributes of a Person
The Holy
Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity – equal with the Father and Son in
essence.
Since one of the major aspects of God’s nature is
that He is a person, it follows that the Holy Spirit is a person.
The apostle Paul noted the intellectual ability of
the Holy Spirit when he asked, “What man
knoweth the things of man save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the
things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11).
The rational capacity of the Holy Spirit was
expanded to include wisdom and communication when Paul’s prayer request for the
Ephesians included “That the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him” (Ephesians 1:17).
The emotional ability of the Holy Spirit is evident
in the word of the apostle, “the love of
the Holy Spirit” (Romans
15:30).
One of the problems associated with emotions is the
possibility of
being grieved by someone who is loved. The Bible warns
Christians, “Grieve not the Holy Spirit
of God” (Ephesians 4:30).
Isaiah cited an example of how Israel “rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit” (Isaiah 63:10).
The Holy Spirit has the ability to respond
emotionally to the ideas and experiences He encounters. The Holy Spirit also
has the ability of will and the ability to exercise it.
By His own choice, the Holy Spirit accomplishes a
number of specific acts, such as giving spiritual gifts. “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to
every man severally as he will” (1 Corinthians
12:11).
The Holy Spirit performs the actions of a person.
The Holy Spirit does a number of things only a person can do.
It should be noted that the Holy Spirit is not a
Person because He does those things attributable to personality, but rather
does the actions of the personality because He is a person.
Consider the following chart to see how the Holy
Spirit does those things which only a person can do.
The
Acts of the Person of the Holy Spirit
·
He teaches –
John 14:26
·
He testifies
– John 15:26
·
He guides
– Romans 8:14
·
He speaks
– 1 Corinthians 2:13
·
He
enlightens – John 16:13
·
He strives
– Genesis 6:3
·
He commands
– Acts 8:28
·
He
intercedes – Romans 8:26
·
He sends
workers – Acts 13:4
·
He calls
– Revelation 22:17
·
He comforts
– John 16:7
·
He works
– 1 Corinthians 12:11
The
Holy Spirit was Addressed as a Person
The New Testament clearly shows the early Christians recognized and
affirmed the Holy Spirit as a Person.
Peter obeyed the Holy Spirit when he was commanded
to go to Cornelius’s household (Acts
10:19).
Philip followed the leading of the Holy Spirit in
his ministry also (Acts 8:39).
Against his better judgment, Ananias came to Saul,
obeying what the Holy Spirit had revealed to him (Acts 9:10-17).
Paul and Silas were constantly led by the Holy
Spirit in their ministry (Acts
16:7-10).
The Bible also records the story of two disciples
who attempted to lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3).
At his trial, Stephen addressed the Sanhedrin,
saying, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised
in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so
do ye” (Acts 7:51).
Jesus warned about blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31).
The Bible also warns of the consequences of
insulting the Holy Spirit. “Of how much
sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden
under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, with
which he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit
of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29).
Is it any wonder the writer concludes, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God?” (Hebrews 10:31)
This would not be so if we had a proper reverence
for the Person of the Holy Spirit as did David (Psalm 51:11).
Association
of Persons
A fourth scriptural illustration of the Holy Spirit as a person is seen
in the references to the Trinity.
Jesus acknowledged three distinct Persons of the
Trinity but recognized their unity in a simple name.
In our understanding of the Trinity, we realize
that what is true of God is true of each part of the Trinity of God.
God the Father is a personal God interested in us (John 3:16; 1 John 3:1).
God the Son is also shown as a personal God
interested in us (John 13:1).
If the teaching of Scripture were unclear concerning
the personality of the Holy Spirit, His association with other members of the
Trinity of God as an equal indicates that he too is a person.
Would you want to have a
deeper relationship with God?
God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life
by receiving His Son,
Jesus Christ, and have eternal life.
Say the following prayer:
“Father God, I confess I am a sinner and my sins have
separated me from You.
I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away
from my past sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You.
Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again.
I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ died for my
sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer.
I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule
and reign in my heart from this day forward. Thank You that according to your
Word, I am now born again.
Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and
to do Your will for the rest of my life. I promise to study Your Word – the
Bible.
Please use me for Your glory.
In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.”
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“Come
Holy Spirit”
Terry Macalmon
lyrics
Come Holy Spirit move in Your people
Draw us to Jesus His glory to see
rain down from heaven fresh living water
Bring us Your liberty
Draw us to Jesus His glory to see
rain down from heaven fresh living water
Bring us Your liberty
Repeat 7x
Dr. Elmer Towns is a college and seminary professor, an author
of popular and scholarly works (the editor of two encyclopedias), a popular
seminar lecturer, and dedicated worker in Sunday school, and has developed over
20 resource packets for leadership education.His personal education includes a
B.S. from Northwestern College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a M.A. from Southern
Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary
also in Dallas, a MRE from Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois,
and a D.Min. from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.He is
co-founder of Liberty University, with Jerry Falwell, in 1971, and was the only
full-time teacher in the first year of Liberty’s existence. Today, the
University has over 11,400 students on campus with 39,000 in the Distance
Learning Program (now Liberty University Online), and he is the Dean of the
School of Religion.Dr. Towns has given theological lectures and taught
intensive seminars at over 50 theological seminaries in America and abroad. He
holds visiting professorship rank in five seminaries. He has written over 2,000
reference and/or popular articles and received six honorary doctoral degrees.
Four doctoral dissertations have analyzed his contribution to religious
education and evangelism.
http://www.biblesprout.com/articles/god/holy-spirit/holy-spirit-person-attributes/
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